084 Master and Commander

And we're back! This week Matt and Mark review the rip-roaring high seas adventure film Master and Commander The Far Side of the World. Doing storytelling justice, MACTFSOFTW teases out just the right tidbits to flesh out full characters, reflecting and contrasting persona to add depth without bruising the script purple with unneeded conversation. Matt discloses his spiteful appetite for minke whale while both Matt and Mark relish in the blood and splinters visceral nature of Napoleanic tall-ship combat, a form of war rarely depicted in an era of the modern shoot 'em up.

Download: 084 Master and Commander

083 Sideways

An epic podcast by Matt and Mark this go around and perhaps our longest (depending on editing). Viewing the Jack and Miles characters as two side of the same addiction-addled coin (strange-women/alcohol ...respectively), we discuss the chemistry of the unlikely duo. In addition, Matt waxes hypocritically on the snobbishness of wine aficionados while defending his Scotch addiction. Sympathies abound with the struggling novelists plight as well (please by my novel Nova Byzantium, coming out in October via Masque Books).

Download: 083 Sideways

082 The Five Deadly Venoms

Inspiring a whole sub-genre of mystical East Coast hip hop, the 5 deadly venoms is the epitome of classic kung fu pulp. Matt indulges his nostalgia, championing the cheesy sound affects and bad dub, while Mark gives a more adult sub-titled perspective. With an arguably nebulous plot, the premise is solid but that's not really the point. This is a stunt show, similar to professional wrestling, with all the fake blood and melodrama of Hulk Hogan's turn to the "dark side."

Download:  082 The Five Deadly Venoms